Every journey requires a certain amount of pressing on. No race is finished until the runners have pressed on across the finish line. And almost every day brings its own problems that demand we press on—through them or around them.
Some problems are minor. Petty, even. Those irritations and annoyances with what has been called the amazing perversity of inanimate things.
Some issues are major and involve a complete change of plans, along with a change of mind. Nothing goes as planned; we encounter not only problems but also problem people to deal with. It’s very tempting to become angry and begin lashing out at others.
But that makes everything worse, not better. So we have to press on toward a better solution, a better way of handling stress.
“My brethren,” says James 1:2, “count it all joy when ye fall into divers [various] temptations.”
James doesn’t tell us to only endure these temptations and the days when so many things go wrong that we grow upset and irritated. No, he advises us to count them as joy.
This would certainly be an enigma, except that he explains it in the very next verse: “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
Evidently, James understood the importance of pressing on through the temptations that test one’s faith and try one’s perseverance. He knew that as we stand firmly for Christ during times of trial, our faith will be strengthened and we’ll learn patience, endurance, acceptance.
In other words, as we press on through life’s trials and stresses, we’ll become stronger.
The apostle Paul understood the importance of pressing on, for he wrote, “I press toward the mark [goal] for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
Paul knew we would have to be tenacious day after day in order to attain our heavenly goal. He knew that pressing on in Christ would produce a strengthened faith and the self-discipline we need to successfully finish this race called life.
For only those who are persistent will reach the goal. And all those who finish the race in Christ Jesus will be the winners.
| Prayer | Reflection |
| Some days the race appears to be very difficult. Please strengthen me hourly, Lord, so that I stay focused on pressing on toward the goal. | Where will I press on today? |